TRIPOLI, Libya - A new force of border guards in Libya deployed Thursday at the key crossing with Tunisia, marking the first time an Interior Ministry force from the transitional government has taken responsibility for a main border post since the ouster of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi.
Former rebels had been in control of the Libyan side of Ras Ajdir crossing for at least two months. It is the primary crossing between Tunisia and Libya and is on a major trade route to the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
Tunisia had requested that Libya put professional border guards at the crossing. Tunisian authorities closed it for two weeks earlier this month due to repeated confrontations with former Libyan rebels and the infiltration of armed men into Tunisia.
Brig. Kamel Aoun, Libyan head of security for the Ras Ajdir crossing, said the official reopening means that the Interior Ministry now has control over the border. He also said there is new equipment, such as computers and scanners, at the border to regulate the process of crossing.
The uniformed border guards' presence at Ras Ajdir is part of a restructuring of security after eight months of civil war this year. There were fierce battles in the region as the two sides fought for control of the key crossing point. Gadhafi, who was in power for 42 years, was captured and killed in October.
Libya's interim leader, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, pledged this month that a new police force and a national army would be formed by mid-March.
"Once the Interior Ministry provided the needed services, such as security and immigration services, the border now operates as well as possible, and I don't think anything will go wrong," said Libyan government spokesman Jalal el-Qalal.
The Libyan side of the crossing was closed for more than a month. It was reopened Thursday with some restrictions on who could cross.
Tunisian and Libyan nationals are allowed to return home through the crossing, but Libyans are not allowed into Tunisia and Tunisians are not allowed into Libya through Ras Ajdir.
Libyan authorities said they need more time to standardize the crossing procedures under the new border guard force before the crossing can handle large numbers of travellers from both countries.
Foreigners and migrant workers are allowed to cross, and the border is open for the flow of goods between the two nations.
Trade between the two neighbours in 2010 was $2.5 billion, but both countries' economies have been ravaged by this year's uprisings. Both countries toppled longtime leaders this year.
